Moms Into Literary Freedom

Happy Pride Month! Next episode Jennifer tells Courtney about a Stonwall Honor book “Like a Love Story” by Abdi Nazmian, but today they take trip back to they days of early Christianity to understand the real story of Mary Magdalene (spoiler: she was more of a sugar mama than a sex worker) and the role Gnosticism played in why certain gospels were censored from the Bible. Before Courtney delves in...

Sure, “The Boys” comic book should not be in school libraries, but what about prisons? What about Australia? Why is a story about super heroes so controversial? Yes, it is very graphic…and there are quite a few blowjobs and sex scenes…But one cannot deny the glaringly obvious comparisons, such as: Sexually exploited “Capes for Christ” hero, Annie January, and Christian sexual predators/politicians...

Trigger warning: SA discussion Courtney and Jennifer continue discussing how the USA hides its empire (with a focus on using oil as thinly veiled excuse for “liberation”) referencing the book “How to Hide an Empire” by Daniel Immerwahr which was covered in the previous episode. But before they do, they catch up on the Duggars (2 sexual predators and counting), Kristi Noem’s husband’s obsession wit...

Courtney tells Jen about the book “How to Hide an Empire” by Daniel Emmerwahr , a very entertaining account of the real role the United States plays around the globe. Emmerwahr’s entertaining and relevant anecdotes subtly distracts the anger readers may feel upon reading the non-whitewashed version of United States’ history and its role in global affairs. Re: Godzilla 🦖 and the forced removal of...

In today’s hopeful episode, Courtney and Jen discuss to connection between gay hockey romance, the rise in popularity of women’s sports, the slow fall of misogyny, and why Democrats ultimately suck. In their usual round about way, Jen and Courtney use Rachel Reid’s spicy romance novel to discuss visibility for gay sport fans, reminds straight people that sports can be gay, and normalizes love and...

Join Jen and Courtney as they highlight the most watched Super Bowl show in HISTORY…and we’re not talking about the Puppy Bowl…even though it had nearly 3 times more views than TPUSA’s flop of show. Why Bad Bunny’s legendary half-time show angered the people of the United States more than the fact that we have actual PDFiles running our country, we will never know…But a self-proclaimed statutory...

Courtney and Jen take on the children’s picture book Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, with illustrations by Jennifer Zivoin. This book cuts through the noise with a rare clarity—offering a way to talk about racial injustice to kids without drowning them in despair. It also exposes a harsh truth: white children often grow up cocooned from these r...

Listen in as Jennifer and Courtney sit down to talk with this book’s amazing and inspiring author, Elisa Stone Leahy. Topics range from silencing the loud minority (Moms for Liberty) 🤡, the importance of amplifying stories anonymously 📣, the dangers of quiet censorship 🤫, and the power of reading 📖. Why are bestsellers always about things like dogs 🐶 and dragons 🐉 ? Nothing against books abo...

Courtney tells Jennifer about the 1954 Guatemalan coup and how the United States’ was involved…Spoiler alert…They weren’t great. Let’s be honest, 2026 is shaping up to be a real doozy…why not start it out with an informational podcast about the history of United States corruption? Remember, knowledge is power and reading is resistance. Tune in to learn how the United States used bananas as an excu...

Jennifer tells Courtney about the eerie similarities between ICE’s perpetual torment on America’s migrant community and the YA novel Tethered to Other Stars by Elisa Stone Leahy…A book that you’d be hard pressed to find in the public school libraries of today’s ‘ Merica . The book follows seventh grader, Wendy Toledo, as she navigates the nuances of friends, bullies, and science fairs, while also...

In honor of the Wampanoag’s selfless aid in helping the wildly unprepared pilgrims not starve to death, Courtney tells Jennifer about the children’s book Keepunumuk by Danielle Hill, Alexis Bunten, Anthony Perry, and Gary Meeches, Sr. This award winning Wampanoag story is told in a Native tradition to Maple and Quill, two indigenous children who are listening to their grandmother tell the story of...

Instead of a book, Courtney tells Jennifer about the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie, One Battle After Another , starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti…all celebrities whose names Courtney could not recall. 😂 But this episode isn’t about those kind of celebrities. Without revealing any spoilers, Courtney gives Jennifer a very sloppy...

Courtney tells Jennifer the ENTIRE plot of 1984 by George Orwell. Spoilers and all. She can’t help it…there are just too many comparisons to draw between Big Brother and the United States government. “Doublethink” is a very important concept in the book that can be seen on a daily occurrence in our new authoritarian America. It’s basically like telling someone it is raining while pissing on their...

Courtney and Jennifer listen to Lavonnia Moore’s story about being targeted by the “Alliance for Faith and Family” over allowing volunteers to include a children’s book about Trans visibility in a library display. The Alliance for Faith and Family is a small off-shoot of the hate group Moms for Liberty, which has been labelled an “extremist” organization connected to “hate groups” like the Proud B...

This was recorded three weeks ago, but the government is STILL shutdown so it is unfortunately, still relevant. In this episode, we cover the YA novel Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi. Winning several awards, including Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best, Yolk is a beautiful and accurate account of sisterhood, American healthcare, toxic relationships, eating disorders, and so much more. We do not beli...

Courtney and Jennifer are thrilled to sit down with Mrs. Frazzled 👩🏻‍🏫 …even though Jennifer’s 🎙️ was dead the whole time… 🤦🏻‍♀️ We promise we weren’t ignoring her! Regardless, these three woke book lovers 📚 had a wonderful conversation about public education, activism, butts 🍑, and even sexy shoulders. Show Notes: Listen 🎧 to her podcast with Mrs. Redacted: Teacher Quit Talk Check out thi...

Courtney and Jennifer review and read "A Map for Falasteen" by Maysa Odeh, a poignant and relevant story about a little girl named "Falasteen" who cannot find her home, Palestine, on a school map. Based on a true story, Falasteen learns about her homeland's heart-wrenching history as her family gives her hope and courage to help keep her country and its people's live on in her even as people try t...

Courtney sits down with Karen from Defense of Democracy to discuss the up and coming Banned Books Week! 📚 Join the Defense of Democracy October 5–11 for free Readout Sessions where you can dive into discussions about banned books.👉 Register at defenseofdemocracy.org/readout ✅ Registration is free 💪 Donations welcome — every dollar helps fight censorship and defend democracy against today’s aut...

Courtney sits down with Oklahoma AP Government teacher Aaron Baker to unpack the curious details of Trump’s “God Bless America” Bible. From its leather binding to the inclusion of Lee Greenwood’s lyrics, they explore this troubling addition to public schools. Most notably, they dig into the confusing and controversial decision to include the Three-Fifths Compromise. If you’re not sure what that me...

Don't miss your chance to join in on a book discussion with Courtney and Jennifer AND author, ASHLEY HOPE PEREZ on October 6th, at 6:00 pm EST . For Banned Books week, and in collaboration with Defense of Democracy, they are inviting YOU to a discussion with Ashley Hope Perez about her award-winning and censored historical fiction: "Out of Darkness". Sign up FOR FREE here: https://givebutter.com/o...

Courtney and Jennifer have BIG news! On Oc. 6th at 6 pm EST, they are honored to host their very first Book Club WITH author, ASHLEY HOPE PEREZ! For Banned Books week, and in collaboration with Defense of Democracy, they are inviting YOU to join them in a discussion with Ashley Hope Perez about her award-winning and censored historical fiction: "Out of Darkness". Sign up FOR FREE here: https://giv...

In this episode, Jennifer and Courtney celebrate the power of trans visibility with a discussion of Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (starting around the 58 minute mark ). Before lifting up this groundbreaking YA urban fantasy, they confront the devastating and recent gun violence and the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death—naming the hateful rhetoric he and the MAGA movement have fueled for far too lo...

In this week’s episode, Jen and Courtney review just a few of today’s overwhelming—and unacceptable—world events before turning the discussion towards the Tulsa Race Massacre and Blackbirds in the Sky by award-winning author Brandy Colbert. (The book discussion starts around the 39 minute mark.) World topics range from the Gaza-bound Flotilla, who refuse to be intimidated by Israeli drone strikes...

Jennifer and Courtney look for 🌈 rainbows in the storm ⛈️ of LGBTQ+ erasure stirred up by the bloated orange Fanta himself 🍊👀. From rainbow-chalk resistance 🖍️🌈 at the DeSantis-erased Pulse memorial 🕯️, to lawsuits ⚖️🔥 torching the unconstitutional bans on gender-affirming care 🏳️‍⚧️💊—and, because it’s Florida 🐊☀️, an alligator 🐊 and Jello gender reveal 🎉🍮—they spotlight resilience 💪, r...

Join our Patreon...O r, rate, review & subscribe wherever you listen! Jennifer and Courtney look for rainbows in the storm of LGBTQ+ erasure stirred up by the bloated orange Fanta himself. From rainbow-chalk resistance at the Desantis-erased Pulse memorial to lawsuits torching the unconstitutional bans on gender-affirming care—and, because it’s Florida, an alligator and Jello gender reveal—the...